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A Mackinac Island taxi and the trusty team of horses that pulls it waits for passengers. I love the slower pace of life on Mackinac Island, where transportation is limited to horses, bicycles, and feet. F4 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

George Wilson, more commonly known as "Big George," has been leading the Scottville Clown Band for over 60 years. Even though Big George is getting ready to pass his plunger onto his son George C. Wilson, he will always be one of the biggest Mason County icons of all time. F10 at 1/640, ISO 400, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Bicycles are everywhere on Mackinac Island and cars are nowhere. It is easy to step back in time seeing all the parked bicycles instead of parked cars in front of the historic and historic-looking downtown businesses. F4 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 16mm

I think I have never seen the East Ludington Avenue residential entryway to downtown Ludington look as beautiful. Lee and Beatrice Farmer are among the many homeowners lining the avenue who take pride in restoring and maintaining their homes. Their "painted lady" at 716 E. Ludington Avenue is one of my favorite grand old Ludington homes. F8.0 at 1/100, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

One of my favorite activities to do while visiting Mackinac Island is to rent bikes and ride around the seven-mile perimeter of the island. With motor vehicles being prohibited on Mackinac Island, the three options for getting around to sightsee are horse and buggy, bicycles, or good old fashioned walking. F9 at 1/200, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

This photograph reminds me of The Smurfs, one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid. It would have been awesome to have one of the small blue figurines I had when I was young to stick below this mushroom. F5.6 at 1.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I have always been impressed with Arch Rock on Mackinac Island. The giant limestone formation was discovered centuries ago by Native Americas who believed it had spiritual powers. F22 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Another hot day draws a crowd to the Bass Lake Outlet to cool off and have some summer fun. My wife Debbie recalls hiking to the outlet from a Bass Lake cottage her parents rented during summer vacations when she was growing up. Bass Lake is one of those places where summer traditions are built. F6.3 at 1/5000, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Last summer I noticed what seemed like hundreds of stone sculptures built along the rocky shore of Mackinac Island by visitors. Today there seem to be only a few dozen, perhaps because the forces of nature toppled most of them during the fall and winter storms. This one along the west shore of the island stands out today. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Several customers came in the gallery earlier today telling us how unbelievably warm the water was in Lake Michigan. Tonight after work, I went to the second curve at Ludington State Park. I stood waist-deep in the warm water with my camera on a tripod and used my flash to help freeze the motion of the rushing waves. F4.5 at 1/25, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The rocky shoreline of Mackinac Island is beautiful all year round. Today, the bright sunlight and high winds were creating bright white foam along the shoreline. The water and shoreline in this photograph look more like the ocean to me than the Great Lakes. The Mackinac Bridge in the distance however, screams Michigan. F11 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

I must be dreaming. A massive buck, its antlers in velvet, pauses in the perfect spot on a Ludington Pumped Storage Plant hillside covered with sweet pea. This looks too good to be true, especially when an old family friend, Dr. John Ramsey, who practiced medicine in Ludington many years ago, sounds out a doe bleat and the deer turns to look our way. F4.0 at 1/400, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Don't forget to turn your cameras vertical when composing photographs. Often, my dad and I will try to shoot the same scene vertically and horizontally. Vertical photos make great magazine covers and that can be a lucrative business deal. F11 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

I have only had an opportunity to photograph loons a handful of times and have never been satisfied with my results until today. While visiting a fellow photographer and her family at their cabin on Gifford Lake near Baldwin, Michigan, I photographed a pair of loons that were enjoying the sunshine and calm water. F5.6 at 1/1600, ISO 640, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

I can't help but place myself back in time to the era of The Great Gatsby when I look at this marvelous classic building. The Windermere Hotel, built as a summer cottage in 1887, looks right at home at Mackinac Island; a place where a person can easily find one's self living at a slower and, in some ways, grander pace. F9 at 1/400, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

The asparagus-picking season is over in this field along South Scottville Road. The plants are left for now to grow wild. This is the time of year when I start to find these fields very photogenic. I find the bright color, soft look and repetitive patterns of the overgrown plants eye-catching. F3.2 at 1/400, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

During a previous visit to Mackinac Island, I made a picture almost identical in composition to this one but it was a hazy summer day with poor light and washed out sky. Today I have great quality of light and a crisp, colorful sky. I previsualize a dramatic image with the same composition as last year but with a dynamic range of light that can make the crosses atop the church rocket out of the dark background. F22 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 20mm

I never get tired of photographing the Badger as she makes her way in or out of port. The carferry may be converting from a coal-fired steam system to a diesel-powered system soon. I hope for my sake as a photographer and for the sake of all the Ludington area that the Badger continues to set sail on Lake Michigan for another 50 years! F9.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Even a ship a thousand feet long is dwarfed by the several-mile-long Mackinac Bridge. The 1,000-footer, the Indiana Harbor, passes precisely through the center of the bridge's huge uprights, dwarfing the motor vehicles traveling across the bridge to and from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. F7.1 at 1/400, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 112mm

It is another uncharacteristically hot day in Northern Michigan and once again the eastern sky is filled with beautiful cumulus clouds this afternoon as I head to Pentwater to set up for the annual art fair on the Village Green. The Monton farm along the US 31 Freeway at the Mason-Oceana county line looks picture perfect. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm